


The Strawberry Kings

by parallel_crooked_lines



Category: Original Work
Genre: 70s, Band, Drug Use, F/F, F/M, Glam Rock, M/M, Swearing, mlm, sexual mentions, wlw
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-30
Updated: 2020-07-31
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:53:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,647
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24999403
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/parallel_crooked_lines/pseuds/parallel_crooked_lines
Summary: A 70s glam rock band named The Strawberry Kings are hiding many secrets from the public- here is their story
Comments: 6
Kudos: 7





	1. The Tree House

**Author's Note:**

> hi so this is a book im writing and i thought i post it on here just for funsies
> 
> Lex

Theresa didn't like being told what to do. She hated it in fact. But her mother was insistent. 

“Theresa, you have to go to your last day of school,” her mother said. But Theresa had other plans. She was going to hang out with her secret lover, Alex. Alex wasn't like any other girl's lover. Alex was a girl as well. This seemed to bother a lot of people, hence the secrecy. 

Theresa had known she didn't like boys for a very long time. She never told anyone, except Alex of course. Her mother and father were always shocked that such a feminine beautiful girl never came home with a boyfriend. 

Alex was different. She was very masculine, and lots of people called her a “dirty dyke.” Everyone in the neighborhood just knew in their heads that Alex didn't like boys. It was a common fact that no one, except for bullies, talked about. 

Theresa didn't have to go to her last day of school. She really didn't. All work had been completed. Graduation was just a stupid little thing that meant nothing. Theresa wasn't going to college. She wanted to play music. Alex had already graduated a year before, she went to her graduation, and told Theresa that it was nothing special. 

“Theresa you have to go. You can't just miss the most important day of high school,” Theresa’s mother said insistently. 

“Oh, how exactly is it that important. I've already done all the work. I'm not going to college, what's the point,” Theresa jabbed back.

“The point is to finish school properly.”

“Why does everything have to be so proper? Am I a fucking princess?” Theresa was beyond annoyed at her mother.

“Don't use that language with me.” 

“Ugh!” Theresa ran to her room and slammed the door.

A couple houses away, Alex Khatri was eating breakfast.

Alexandria, do you have a boyfriend?” her mother asked.

“No mama, and it's Alex” she responded calmly. 

“Right, I'm sorry. But you’re 19 years old, how have you never had one yet?”

“Because she's a dyke,” said Alex’s brother Andy.

“Do not speak that word in my household,” Alex's father said suddenly and sternly.

Alex felt herself gulp. She knew that they knew. They just didn't like to talk about it. Alex had known she liked girls from a very young age. She wasn't sure if what she had for girls was crushes or not, but all in all she hated boys. They were ugly and smelly and gross. Girls were better, with their soft hair and little giggles and feminine nature. 

Alex finished her breakfast and went to her room. Why does everyone have to hate me for who I love, she thought. Why can’t they just accept it and move on. It doesn’t affect them. Alex sighed. “Why does life have to be so unfair?” she asked aloud. All she wanted was to be able to be herself. To live in her own skin, not what society wanted her to be.

Alex was angry at the world. Angry at it for being racist and cruel. And for not accepting people like her. Sometimes she got so angry that she wanted it to end. But she always stayed alive. For Theresa.

Alex pulled up in her car next to Theresa’s house. She could see Theresa and her dyed blonde hair and her pretty pink dress coming out the door. She got in the car and they drove away.

“You look so beautiful today,” Alex said in her crisp, medium pitched voice.

“So do you, love,”Theresa replied, in her much deeper, smooth, alto voice. 

“What would you think if I dyed my hair pink?” Theresa asked. “Hey, that rhymes.”

“I think it would look beautiful,” Alex replied. She leaned over and brushed Theresa's hair. Theresa's cheeks turned a crimson red. Whenever the young woman blushed, she blushed hard.

“Well, I certainly hope so,” Theresa responded with a gleam in her eye and a small little smile on her face. Her cheeks were still extremely red.

“So why did you choose me over your graduation?” Alex asked flirtatiously. 

“You said it was pointless,” Theresa answered.

“Yeah but, I mean, it’s still the last day you ever go to school,” said Alex.

“Well it wasn’t for me. The day before was the last day of school because I didn’t go to the technical last day,” Theresa said matter of factly. 

“Whatever. You know what I mean.”

“Well actually I don’t.”

Alex sighed. There was no way she was going to win this argument.

The two finally got to the tree house they had built, to hide and make love and write music together. 

They got out of the car quickly and climbed up the ladder. The moment they got up they kissed deeply and passionately. They were safe.

Theresa’s mom was furious. Her daughter had actually skipped school to hang out with that dyke. She couldn't believe it.

“Theresa go to your room, you don't get dinner tonight.”

Great. Now I’m being starved, Theresa thought. Oh well. I’m used to it anyways.

Theresa went to her room and sat on her bed. She reached underneath and picked up the snacks she had hidden there. She hated being told that she couldn't eat. She loved  
eating. Which is why she had a secret stash of snacks just in case her annoying mother decided to starve her again.

Oh my love I miss you

How I long so much to kiss you

Oh my darling why must we be apart

The lyrics came to Theresa all of a sudden. She quickly grabbed a piece of paper and a pencil and wrote them down. She wrote the rest and she wrote it for Alex. Her one and only love.

Theresa and Alex had been dating for about 7 months up to this point. It was a miracle really that they had gotten away with it for so long.

How their relationship came about was a mystery to both of them. One night they were hanging out as two friends, and then suddenly they were making out intensely. Then they just became a thing. They had only said I love you for the first time about a month ago. It had been a beautiful moment. 

“You're the only person I ever want in my life.” Alex had said.

“Really” Theresa questioned back with doubt.

“Yes. I love you. A whole fucking lot.”

Theresa had nearly cried. “I love you too, love,” She responded. “Also a whole fucking lot.”

They both started crying at that point. They were so young and stupid, but their relationship was the only thing that mattered to either of them. It was perfect, and that was all that mattered.

Of course, nothing can remain perfect for too long.

“I got some lyrics!” Theresa shouted at Alex enthusiastically.

Alex giggled. “You are so sweet when you get all worked up.” 

Theresa climbed the ladder and jumped into her lover’s arms. She felt safe and loved. She was home.

They worked on the lyrics and sang a bit, but it was very hard without instruments. Alex often wondered if they should start looking for some musicians. Of course, it would be hard to find someone who would be accepting of them. But it was worth a shot.

Oh my love I miss you

How I long so much to kiss you

Oh my darling why must we be apart

For tonight I’ll miss you

And tomorrow the same

Oh my darling, my love, my heart

I’ll love you today 

And i’ll love you tomorrow

So please stay with me my love

Theresa sounded like a female Elvis as she sang the slow notes beautifully. Alex thought there could never be a more beautiful sound than her lover singing the song she had clearly written for her.

“What’s it called?” asked Alex.

“My love,” Theresa responded sweetly in her soft voice.

The song was slow and sweet. Alex hadn’t heard anything so good since Elvis. Theresa Lennox’s songwriting was otherworldly. She had to be going somewhere.

But obviously, there was something missing. Backup. They needed at least a guitar. Maybe a bassist and a drummer for their more fast paced songs.

“Maybe we should try finding some instrument players,” Alex said.

“You read my mind,” Theresa replied.


	2. Eyes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like to dedicate this chapter to Julia, my beta. I hope you all like it!
> 
> Lex

Alex loved the smell of paper. She loved it so much. 

“Alex come on, we've gotta finish the copies,” Theresa said. Alex was caught up in the smell of paper again. It was really annoying. 

The two young women were making copies of a flyer for attracting a guitarist, bassist, and a drummer. The flyer read:

Instrumentalists needed!  
Hello! We are two young female singers named Alex Khatri and Theresa Lennox. We are looking for a bassist, a guitarist, a drummer, and a keyboard player. Our phone   
numbers are 674-4235 (Alex) and 583-9983 (Theresa). We are hoping for people around our age (18-19). Call and we will give you an audition!

They thought the flyer was really good. It had all the information needed, and it didn't sound too much like a needy advertisement. Theresa and Alex had printed 30 copies, and were currently making 10 more. Once they had 40 they would spread them all over town and mail them to people’s houses. The town was small, so it wasn't like they had to make a ton.

“Alright, we got forty,'' said Alex.. 

“Great. Now we should go put them out,” Theresa replied. 

They walked around town for a bit, putting up the flyers and putting them on people’s doorsteps.

“I think that'll be enough,” Alex said as they finished the last street in the neighborhood.

“We've still got three left,” Theresa pointed out.

“Well, we'll just throw those away.” 

“That would be a horrible waste!” 

“Well what else are we supposed to do?”

“Well, we could put them at the gay bar…” Theresa proposed. 

“Why?” Alex asked.

“So we can find someone who'll accept us…”

“I suppose that's a good idea,” Alex said with a hint of doubt. “But what if the word gets around that we've been there?”

“Oh it'll be fine,” Theresa reassured. 

“You sure?”

“Positive.”

They walked towards the gay bar and entered discreetly. They came in to see a bunch of men and a couple women dancing and drinking. Little Richard’s Tutti Frutti was playing in the background. Portraits of men were all over the place. There weren't too many lesbians in this particular bar but they still were always welcome. 

They pinned a couple signs up to the wall, and then went to the dance floor and danced a bit. They had fun, dancing and holding each other tightly.

Suddenly Elvis’ “I Can’t Help Falling In Love With You” came on. They started slow dancing, focusing on each other’s eyes, not paying any attention to their surroundings.

They kissed when the song was over, and then left the bar and headed home.

Under a protective roof

We Dance to Elvis holding hands

Our love is secret anyways

And all those men stare as we gaze

Into each other’s eyes

I think I'll call it Eyes,” Alex mused when she was finished singing the first verse

They had been writing a bunch of songs all day. Alex’s songs were very descriptive, and sometimes romantic, like the last one. However Theresa’s were always romantic. 

Theresa was just a very romantic person. 

“Alright, I’m gonna finish it.” Alex said, picking up the paper to write as she sang.

Just you and me dancing 

Looking deep into each others eyes

Nothing else matters in this world

Then we'll go home and make some love

And we'll be free to be ourselves again

Oooh

Under this roof we shall stay

Until the world will get our love

And then we shall be free to live in peace

Alex suddenly stopped. “I can't figure out what to do next.”

“It’s alright. It’ll come to you in time.” Said theresa.

“Can I work on my next one?” Asked alex.

“Sure, I'm at a block anyways,” Theresa responded, moving her legs to sit in a cross legged position, her hands folded neatly on her lap.

“Alright, thank you.” Alex responded, putting down the paper for her last song, and getting another. 

This world we live in

Is unpredictable

It tells who and how to be

And all the people

Who look like me

Are told that we are lesser beings than the others

Alex continued to sing. Theresa stared at her with such passion that she felt like Alex was going to burst.

At the end of the day, they had a total of 7 finished songs, and 5 unfinished. Definitely enough for a record eventually. Now all they needed was a backup band.

The next morning, Alex and Theresa drove in their car to their treehouse, playing The Beatles on the radio. 

“Do we know anyone who plays any instruments?” Alex asked, her hand on the steering wheel.

“Hm, let me think,” Theresa responded as she turned up the radio playing the song “You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away,” the song made Theresa wonder if John Lennon was one of them.

“Wait, I do know this guy. He lives next door and his name is Roger. He plays the bass.” Theresa said as she pulled out of her previous train of thought.

“Ooh, lets see if we can get him to audition,” Alex said, her interest piqued. 

“Do you think he'll be accepting of us?” Theresa wondered. 

“I hope so.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I plan to finish my fem maylor au next and then i'll do as the world falls down, but this will always be my top priority because this is my most personal and my favorite of my works
> 
> Lex


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter went amazing thanks to my lovely beta @doctorqueensanatomy on tumblr (TYSM!!!!). And yeah I am so happy with where this book is going. Comments and kudos are very much appreciated.
> 
> Lex

By any regards, juvenile boy Roger McCarthy was in no means, in any way shape or form, normal; not only did he wear an eyepatch, but he was born a girl. His parents opted to stay quiet about it, even moving to a different town when they found out he was a transgender boy so no one would know. Even with the added precaution, they prohibited him from leaving their house, no, not until the doctors had finished with his surgeries, and even then, all things in account, Roger was blind in one eye... He didn't have to wear an eyepatch, but he was insistent on it. 

Roger also had plans to legally change his last name to Olive. Why? No idea! It was just a plan he had because he really wanted to change his last name to Olive. That's all there is to it.

You shouldn't underestimate him though; he's been playing the bass since he was 15 and was, all things considered, skilled. He'd learnt to read sheet music not long after and could now pick out anything to play and do it fairly well. With a decent singing voice and a knack for songwriting, he had dreams of being in a band, and playing music for the world to hear.

Out from nowhere, Theresa yelled “I have an idea!”, causing Alex to sigh. Once more the two girls were in the treehouse, writing songs, as usual. Theresa had been having an outburst of new and exciting ideas as of lately and needed to get them down.

“What if," she started, practically shouting. "We did a song where it was just clapping, so we can perform it just the two of us?”

Dropping her paper to her latest song, Goodbye Mama, Alex hushed her girlfriend, annoyed. “Theresa, you have to be more quiet!" Picking up the paper, she shot a glare in Theresa's direction.

“I'm sorry,” said Theresa, not showing an ounce of guilt at all. “But I have the perfect idea for a song! Since we don’t have instruments yet, we can clap, and that’ll be the song. Clapping and singing." she stated the obvious. "What do you think? I think I’ll call it... Clap and Shout! It'll be so fun-”

“That sounds,” Alex interrupted her, walking over to Theresa and placing kisses all over her face. "Amazing."

Theresa giggled. “I wasn’t sure you would like it,” she said in between kisses. 

“Why?” Alex pulled away from Theresa’s face.

“Sometimes you don’t like my ideas.” said Theresa, hints of annoyance in her voice.

Alex frowned. “Well I like this one.” her compliment paid off as Theresa smiled.

Ring ring, the phone rang, Alex running to pick it up “Hello?”

“Hi this is David Taylor, I saw your flyer." The voice was deep and kind of cold. Alex wasn’t sure if she had ever met David before. "I play the drums...”

“Yes, thank you for calling!" She tried to dissuade from showing any uncertainty. "This is Alex. How about you come to my house, which is 67 Flowerwood Way on the 3rd at about," estimating the time, she told "1 o’clock for an audition? And if you need help with your drums, I can help you bring them.”

“Yes that would be great, thank you! My address is 483 14th Street," Alex hurriedly found a pen and paper to jot down his address as he spoke.

“Alright, well thank you for calling." Alex failed at hiding her excitement. "See you on the third!” Alex hung up the phone, immediately calling for Theresa. “Some guy named David just called! He plays drums!” she announced.

Both girls couldn't contain their elation, Theresa expelling a loud “Fucking finally!” as she squealed enthusiastically, crossing her legs and moving back onto her bed, twirling the phone cord in her hand.

“He’s coming for an audition at my house on the third," Alex recounted. "Oh, and I’m gonna help him bring his drums."

“That sounds great!” Theresa smiled, joy ridden over her face. “Ugh, I’m so happy someone called.”

“Me too,” Alex responded.

They rested content now, time passing obliviously before Theresa yawned, an indication of her exhaustion and pent up adrenaline. “Well I think I’ll go to bed,” she whispered, voice hoarse. “Goodnight my love!”

“Goodnight,” Alex said sweetly with a smile.

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

The next morning, Theresa went to see the mysterious boy named Roger. She hadn't seen him before but had heard his mother screaming his name very loudly, and the sound of him playing the bass. Walking up to her neighbor’s house, she knocked on the door, biting her lip from the anxiety.

Answering the door was a small statured blond woman, tiredness coating her features. “Who are you?” the woman questioned quizzically.

“My name's Theresa, Theresa Lennox," she confirmed. "I’m here to see Roger.” Theresa proudly spoke.

If the woman looked defensive before, it was nothing compared to now, snapping “How do you know Roger?”

“I just heard him playing bass, and I can hear you saying his name." Theresa responded, caught off guard but not backing down. My er… friend, yeah, friend and I are starting a band, and we were wondering if Roger would be interested?"

“I," the lady stumbled on her own words. "Well, I’ll ask him... sorry it’s just that Roger has never been friends with anyone that I know of and I was worried he had made friends without telling me." An overprotective essence shone from the woman, fading as she stood silent for a while before snapping back into the now. "Well uh, Theresa, I’ll go get him. And I’m Phyllis, Phyllis McCarthy,” the woman walked back inside and shuted for Roger. She brought him down and watched as he walked out. He was thinner than Theresa had expected and was wearing oddly baggy clothes. There was something strangely… feminine about him. Not in a homosexual way or anything, but the fact of the matter was something Theresa just couldn’t put her finger on. And if that wasn't enough, the boy had an eyepatch! How peculiar…

“Hello,” he spoke in an androgynous sounding voice.   
“Hi," Theresa nervously responded, still quite confused. "I’m Theresa. You are Roger, correct?”

“Yeah,” Roger said.

“Me and my friend are singers. We were wondering if you would be interested in playing bass for us? We don’t have a guitarist yet but we are going to audition a drummer soon!"

Awestruck, Roger gawked; no one had ever recognized his talent before, not even his parents. “H- how do you know I play bass?” he asked, slightly worried and slightly intrigued.

“I can hear you." Theresa stated matter-of-factly. "I live right next to you."

Roger blinked, "oh."

A silence bestowed them for a period slightly longer than awkward until the eager musician in Theresa expressed interest once more, sounding more pressing than intended. “Well, are you interested?”

Instantaneously, Roger rebuked, “Yes!" He rushed. "of course!”

By the time Theresa got back home, time to dwell on the recent progress that had been made, she couldn’t help the shriek she let out.

This was going amazingly.


	4. Two Couples

Young Michael Robert Jones and Johnathan Thomas Greene, also known as Mick and John, were a guitar duo who played in the local gay bar in the small town of Pockethaven. The bar was called The Marsh, and it just so happened to be the same exact bar that our Theresa Lennox and Alex Khatri would visit. Mick played lead guitar, and John played rhythm guitar. Their duets were sexy, and somehow beautiful as well. Neither of them could sing, but their guitars were enough to make the crowd go wild.

Mick was 18 years old, a bisexual man, and had a dirty blond moptop. John was 19 years old, a gay man, and had long hair that had been dyed dark green, to go along with his last name. John was very feminine and wore turtlenecks and tight pants, as opposed to Mick, who wore leather jackets and baggy jeans. And Mick and John were, like Alex and Theresa, a young couple.

The two boys had seen the flyers while playing gigs at The Marsh, and as the two of them had been thinking of playing in a band, they saw this as the perfect opportunity to join one. So they decided to call one of the numbers, and hoped that they would pass whatever audition these two young girls had in store. They also wondered why two female singers would put their flyers in the gay bar. Unless… well that was rare. At least Mick and John thought it was.

Ring ring. Said the telephone, and Theresa rushed to pick it up. “Hello?” she said eagerly, hoping someone had called for the flyer.

“Hi, my name is Mick. I me and my, uh, friend, saw your flyer,” said a raspy, youthful, male voice.

Theresa tried not to show her excitement through her voice. “What instrument do you and your boyfriend play?” she asked, smirking on the other end.

“How-”

“I can tell. I have a girlfriend,” Theresa interrupted, smiling dreamily. She knew what it sounded like when someone was pretending to be heterosexual.

“Oh.” said Mick as he finally realized why two young girls put their flyers up in the gay bar. “Well, we both play guitar, but John also plays keyboards,” Mick answered. 

“That’s perfect!” Theresa exclaimed, practically jumping. “Come audition on the fourth, we’ve already got a bassist and a drummer for the third. You said your boyfriend’s name was John?”

“Yes.”

“Okay great. And thank you so much for calling!”

“Yeah, which address do we go to?”

“Oh sorry, come to Alex’s at 67 Flowerwood Way, at, hm,” she paused to think of a good time, “2 o’clock would be good. If that’s not any trouble with you?”

“That’s perfect, we’ll be there,” Mick confirmed.

“Okay great! Thank you so much!”

“You’re welcome.”

Theresa squealed as she hung up the phone. She simply could not believe how well this was going.

On Monday the third, Alex rang the doorbell at 483 14th street. 

When the door opened, there was a young man standing there. He was tall, hairy, and wearing a white tank top with jeans. “Hey,” he said in a chill voice. He struck Alex as one of those guys who tried to be cool to make an impression.

“Hey,” Alex responded cooly, trying her best to copy him in order to make her own impression. “You must be David?” 

“Yup that’s me,” David said. 

“Well where are your drums?” she asked.

“Right this way,” he responded, leading her through the house to a small room. They brought the large drum set and stool out of the house.

When they had finally gotten the drums to Alex’s house, Theresa was there.

When everything was set up, and David was settled, Theresa spoke.“Play us something, David. Anything you want.” she said.

“Okay.” he responded.

And suddenly he was off into another world, playing the drums like a professional. Alex and Theresa stared in awe.

When he had finally finished, Alex spoke.

“We want you.” she said. 

The next day, John and Mick came over, and their audition went well. The girls were awed by their talent. And they were hired. Finally, they had a full band, and were ready to meet for the first time the next Saturday.


	5. A Band Is Born

Roger walked in the door to find the rest of the new band sitting there. He examined the group. There were three guys he had never seen before. One was tall, thin, and had very long dark green hair. He had a moustache and was wearing a turtleneck. 

Sitting next to him was a shorter guy with a dirty blond bowl cut and wearing a denim jacket with baggy brown pants. 

Standing behind them was a taller guy with a small beard and short, light brown hair. He was wearing a tanktop and jeans. 

Sitting next to each other were Theresa and another girl he hadn’t met. She was Indian and had short, thick, black hair. Both girls were wearing overalls; Theresa pink and Alex blue. It appeared that Theresa had dyed her hair pink within the last time Roger had seen her. She looked very beautiful, the color definitely suited her. 

Everyone was staring at Roger as he walked in. They examined the thin blond boy. He could tell that they were staring at his eyepatch.

“Hi,” Roger spoke shakily in his androgynous voice. 

Everyone else in the room muttered their greetings, and then Theresa took charge. 

“Alright everyone, introduce yourselves.” She stood up. “I’ll start, my name is Theresa, and I’m a singer and songwriter.” 

“Hi I’m Alex and I’m also a singer and a songwriter,” Alex introduced herself from where she was sitting. Her voice was oddly high for how masculine she looked, Roger thought. And it was the same thing with Theresa, who was very feminine, yet had a very deep voice.

There was a cough. “I’m David and I play the drums,” the guy who was standing up said.  
There was a pause between the last three. 

“Well I guess I’ll go,” said the guy with the long green hair, “My name is John and I play rhythm guitar and keyboards. He had a very feminine voice, and was obviously a homosexual.

Roger and the bowl cut guy glanced at each other, and then Roger decided to go first. 

“Uh, hi, uh, I’m Roger and I play the uh, bass.” He spoke in a shaky voice. Roger was filled with anxiety, and he hated to show that to his new bandmates.

Bowl cut guy blushed, and finally spoke. “H-hi I’m Mick and I do guitar, uh yeah I play guitar.” Mick was clearly incredibly shy. 

Theresa spoke: “Alright well now that we’ve all introduced ourselves, who wants to play first to show the band what you can do?”

"I'll go first," David spoke.

He walked over to his drum set, and sat down, then immediately went into a long, difficult, drum solo. Everyone looked at the young man in awe. He was incredible.

After David finished, everyone clapped. Well, everyone except for Theresa, who seemed to be taking this meeting more seriously than she should have been.

Alex spoke first. "You definitely have talent David."

Everyone laughed. 

"Well that was an understatement," said John. And he was very much correct.

Roger played next. He played the bass line from The Beatles' "Something" which was an incredible bass line. The way he played it made it sound a lot more interesting than the way Paul McCartney had played it. It was incredible.

After he finished, even Theresa applauded him. And she was the first to speak.

"I think you might've played that better than Paul McCartney himself!" she practically screamed.

Roger blushed. "Really?" He asked with doubt.

"Yes!!" Everyone shouted at once. 

Roger's face turned a crimson red.

"Thank you, that means a lot to me," he said in a slightly embarrassed way.

John went next. He played a few chords on the guitar, and then a short piano solo. He was a decent pianist and a good rhythm guitarist. The only one to applaud when he finished was Mick. Everyone else nodded their heads in appreciation. 

Then Mick went. He played the guitar solo from a song by The Kinks. He was an incredible guitarist. His tone was very mature. He almost sounded like Jimmy Page of the Yardbirds. Except not quite as good. But still, incredible.

Then it was time for the singers. Alex and Theresa decided to perform the song they had rehearsed for just vocals, stomping, and clapping. Theresa called it "Clap and Shout," and they sang it together very well. 

The guys were awed by Theresa's voice. She sounded like female Elvis. Her voice was deep and beautiful. Alex's voice was more of a female John Lennon. Higher and more scratchy, but great nonetheless. 

And after everyone was done, something magical happened.

They played their first song together. 

It was a cover of The Beatles' "If I Fell" and it was beautiful. 

And on that day, a band was born.


	6. The First Concert

The band continued practicing their songs for about a week. They now had about as many songs that were needed for one album. Soon enough, everyone had found out about both Alex and Theresa, and Mick and John being couples… and everyone was very supportive. Although David wasn't very sure how they were going to hide it if they ever became famous, but then again that was a very big "what if." Roger, who had yet to tell the band his secret, was more concerned about his own problems.

They were jamming about every day for at least 30 minutes now, and all agreed that they were quite good. They didn't know their style, and they soon realized that they were missing a name. 

Theresa was listening to The Beatles, whom she loved. They were lyrical geniuses, and despite how many of their songs were overplayed, they had some hidden gems that Theresa thought the world needed to pay more attention too. 

Strawberry fields forever came on. And then Theresa remembered how much she loved strawberries. She loved their taste and scent. Maybe this could be a good band name…

"The Strawberry Kings."

"I'm sorry, what?" Alex was concerned. Theresa had just showed up extremely late for rehearsal, and the first thing she said when she entered was totally random.

"That's our new band name. The Strawberry Kings." She said matter of factly. 

"You can't just decide a band name without any of our input!" David exclaimed.

"He's right you know," said Roger, crossing his arms. "But I have to admit, it is quite a good name." 

"Well I think the name would be lovely!" John stated sweetly, clearly trying to uplift the atmosphere.

Of course, David did have to agree with Roger. It was a great idea for a band name. And perfect for the atmosphere they wanted to bring. But he didn't like that Theresa seemed to be acting like this was her band, making all the decisions like that. 

From the very beginning they had all agreed their band had no leader. Everyone was to be treated equally, and given a say in everything. And David thought this rule was being broken by Theresa deciding the name without anyone else.

But in the end, he couldn't think of a better name for their band. He was angry at himself for this.

The radio was playing, some new musician was on.

The song playing was called "Starman," written by some new guy called David Bowie. 

Mick listened carefully. His style was new and interesting, it was very cool. Almost like what they were trying to achieve in their style. Mick turned the radio up. He was drowned out in awe. He wondered if David Bowie was hot.

Turns out, he was.

"They're calling it 'glam,'" said John. "It's a new era. Men in glittery outfits, just like David Bowie."

"This is exactly what we need!" Theresa exclaimed. "We need to promote ourselves as glam! This is how we're gonna make it!"

"We just need new outfits, is all…" said Roger.

"Let's go shopping!" Said John loudly.

"Yes!" Agreed Theresa.

John and Theresa, feminine extroverts alike, were getting excited. Alex and Mick exchanged glances. They were both two butch introverts with a femme extrovert partner. They related on that note.

And so the band did go shopping. They headed to a store in a different town, and all shopped in the women's section. They got some strange glances for sure. But they didn't care. They just hoped they wouldn't get killed.

But halfway through, Roger burst into tears. He ran away and hid in the bathroom.

"Roger man come out!" David said, knocking on the door. Mick and John were standing behind him, both feeling very sympathetic. They weren't sure what was going on with Roger. Had shopping in the women's section put too much pressure on him?

They never found out.

The band headed home, everyone with some good new finds.

David had bought some pink suspenders, along with some baggy sweatpants, various women's blouses, and a pair of pink earrings.

Roger had ended up buying from the men's section. He bought a few button ups, along with some baggy jeans.

John had bought leather pants, and other black women's pants with a black turtleneck and some glittery earrings, and a sparkly scarf. Everything he bought was black, and yet he managed to somehow still make it glam.

Mick had bought a few pairs of women's pants with a white and blue women's blouse, along with a black vest with a floral pattern

Theresa bought some pink overalls to match her hair, along with a few blouses, and some fancy jewelry.

And lastly, Alex bought a denim vest that had a sort of punk vibe, and some pairs of leather pants. 

They tried on their outfits, and everyone agreed that they were the most fashionable people in all of Pockethaven.

Alex decided to confront Roger after his incident in the store. She walked outside to where he was sitting, he appeared to be sitting on a pair of steps, looking sad and lonely.

Alex put her hand on his back and rubbed it a bit. "Hey, what was that? If you don't mind me asking."

"I have a," Roger paused and took a breath, "confession to make," he sighed.

"Oh?" Alex asked.

Roger took a deep breath in. As he breathed out, he muttered something.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't quite hear you," Alex asked calmly.

"I said I'm a transsexual." He said louder.

"You mean, you're a woman?"

Roger winced. "I'm a man. I always have been, I just kinda, got the wrong parts is all."

Alex nodded. She understood. She had never met a transsexual before, she had only heard of female ones, never a male. It was interesting to her. Of course she would always respect someone's identity, no matter what it was.

"Thank you for telling me this," she said. "I won't tell anyone, unless you want me to."

"Actually, if you wouldn't mind telling the rest of the gang, that would be amazing. It's just… hard for me to articulate it to others on my own, if that makes sense." 

"Of course, I completely understand." Alex smiled.

Roger sighed again. "Do you think they'll be accepting?"

"I certainly hope so."

Alex delayed telling the rest of The Kings, as they had now begun to refer to themselves, due to an upcoming event: their first concert. Theresa and Alex had booked a small stage in the center of town for one night on the upcoming Saturday, and now all of the band's energy went into preparing for it.

Alex had become incredibly tense, she was stressed and focussed only on getting her band, oh shit, not her band, the band. Alex was focussed on getting the band ready for the performance.

They were playing three covers, "If I Fell," by The Beatles, "Picture Book," by The Kinks, and "By My Baby," by The Ronettes, along with 10 of their original songs. 

When the band arrived at the park, they set up. David and Alex, the two strongest of the group, moved David's drums onto the pavilion. Everyone set up microphones and amps, and their instruments. It took them about 30 minutes to be ready for the performance, and at about that time, people started to get curious.

A few young people showed up first, and then there were families, and finally, The Kings were ready.

Theresa stepped up nervously to the microphone. It squeaked as she breathed. The young woman was incredibly nervous. "H-hello everybody," she said carefully, sweat beginning to form on her palms. Thankfully, she wouldn't have to play an instrument. "We hope you enjoy the show." Was that really what I wanted to say? She thought. Oh well, it didn't matter anymore. She would just have to go with it.

Theresa turned back to the band, she mouthed: are you ready? The rest of the band collectively nodded.

And then Mick played the guitar riff for their first song: "I Never Knew." And suddenly Alex went off into her own world, singing the lyrics with pride. Theresa sang backing vocals softly and nervously. 

The rest of the band played so well that the audience was in awe. More people flooded in, hearing the song. The song itself was catchy. Nothing about it really stood out, but it was famous band material. 

After the song ended, everyone held their breath. The growing audience erupted into applause. Theresa and Alex looked at each other and smiled. They made it through the first song. But would they make it through the entire performance?

The next song was called "Angel." It was one of Theresa's. She had written it for Alex. It was a much slower song, more suited for Theresa's deep voice. Alex was free during the song, so she spent it staring at her lover. She was in awe. How could such a beautiful, talented, and kind person exist? 

After the song was done, the audience applauded again. And as the evening went on, the audience grew and grew. Everyone seemed to enjoy the performance, it was magical. 

After the performance was over, and everyone had left. Theresa rushed over to Alex, and hugged her tightly. 

"Pinch me so I know I'm not dreaming!" Theresa exclaimed, out of breath. 

"That was incredible," said a voice. The voice was male and British, very interesting. Theresa and Alex turned around to see a man with wavy dark brown hair and glasses wearing a suit. Very british. "My name is Carl Katz. I'm here on a vacation to see my aunt, and I just happened to notice the six of you. You see, I'm a manager who's been looking for a band like you. New on the age of glam rock."

The band all looked at each other, they exchanged surprised looks and nods. Then they turned back to the group. "We're interested," said Alex. 

"Great, then you'll come with me to England. One week from now."


End file.
